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About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 27, 2002)
Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR 97523, November 27, 2002 Douglas fir dukes it out with Noble fir for Oregon’s best-selling holiday tree KEVIN O’BRIEN O’Brien new coordinator for planting trees by FAC By SHARON SILVA “You can’t change one thing in Nature without affect- ing everything else,” said Kevin O’Brien, the new tree planting coordinator for the Forestry Action Committee (FAC), based at the forest ser- vice’s I.V. Ranger District. The tree planting pro- gram, in its 11th year, is in- tended to improve the quality and health of the watershed in Illinois Valley by planting seedlings. “The direct effect of trees,” said O’Brien, “is that they cool the water and pro- vide shade. This helps the fish to survive. Debris from the trees fall into the water pro- viding food for the fish. These fish then become food for other fish.” FAC’s tree planting pro- gram provides free consulta- tions to land owners who have riparian areas. “The land owner and the tree planting program work together to come up with a plan. We work with the land owners ideas,” said O’Brien. “The trees used are all native to the area.” On average, approxi- mately 120 properties per planting season are served by the program. O’Brien said that FAC provides the trees, some of which are donated, and oth- ers FAC pays for. The next planting day is set for Saturday, March 1. Volunteer groups are available to help plant trees for those who are unable to, “due to poor health, or other reasons,” said O’Brien. He also gave credit to the community, saying that its involvement with the program is what has made it a success. “I’m really impressed with this community,” he said. “They share the values of the tree planting program. It’s a wonderful thing, I can’t be- lieve the level of involvement and commitment,” he said. O’Brien, who resides in Rogue River, has worked with the federal government as a ranger and a natural resource manager for the past 15 years. “This area was so heavily affected by the fire, I feel that this project could have a very healing effect,” he said. More information about the tree planting program is available at the Illinois Valley Ranger District Office at 26568 Redwood Hwy.; or phone O’Brien at 592-4098. For associated uplands, erosion control, and weed seed prevention, phone Wayne Fitzpatrick, the forest techni- cian, at 592-4098, for a free consultation. Said Fitzpatrick, “We pre- scribe trees to plant along the roadways to serve as a living fence.” A first-time extensive sur- vey of Oregon’s Christmas tree industry confirms what has been known for a long time -- the production and sale of Oregon Christmas trees are quite important to the state’s agricultural economy. “The proof is in the latest numbers -- our Christmas tree industry generates a great deal of economic activity,” said Gary McAninch, manager of the Oregon Dept. of Agricul- ture’s Christmas Tree and Nursery Program. “Our inspectors are about to become very busy in the next few weeks as trees are harvested and shipped around the country and around the world,” he said. Oregon long has main- tained its status as the nation’s top producer of Christmas trees with a value of $151 mil- lion in 2001. Last year, ap- proximately 8.3 million Ore- gon trees were sold. The comprehensive sur- vey results compiled by the Oregon Agricultural Statistics Service offer detailed infor- mation. It includes identifying the number of workers in the industry; which species ac- count for the most sales; and the destination of Oregon Christmas trees last year. A breakout of the sales figures show that the larger plantations -- those with at least 100 acres of Christmas trees -- accounted for 81 per- One item that folks sometimes overlook when getting their affairs in order is funeral planning. Prearrangements save money, and relieve your family of that emotional task. Complete, professional, caring help in your time of sorrow. 592-4110 RAMCELL NOW AVAILABLE AT DARN NEAR EVERYTHING 136 South Redwood Hwy. 592-5255 Current Ramcell customers FREE upgrades, phones & promos! Free phone with charger - Free activation Affordable packages to suit you No roaming charges - 10 states cent of the value of all trees sold, and 77 percent of the total number of trees sold in 2001. Oregon has 50,970 acres of Christmas trees in production. Those with 100- plus acres are responsible for 70 percent of the acreage. The survey offers a first- time look at job activity gen- erated by Oregon’s Christmas tree industry. “The number of workers and average wages came in at 9,166 workers with wages of nearly $25 million,” said Janice Goodwin, state ag stat- istician. As expected, the survey confirms that Oregon’s Christ- mas tree industry is dominated by two major species– -- Douglas fir and Noble fir. To- gether, the two species ac- counted for 92 percent of all Christmas tree sales last year. “About 57 percent of the trees sold were Douglas firs and 35 percent were Noble firs,” said Goodwin. “Those two species also dominate the value of sales, although 49 percent of that value was due to Noble fir with only 44 per- cent attributed to Douglas fir. “Comparing the average price of trees, the Douglas firs came in at an average of $12.35 per tree while the No- bles commanded a much higher price of $22.27 per tree,” he said. Christmas tree plantings in Oregon have increased steadily each year since 1996, according to the survey re- sults. Total number of trees planted has nearly doubled from 5,696 trees in 1996 to 10,551 trees in 2001. Until 1998, Douglas fir Page 13 ‘Fast Friendly Home PC Service’ Richard S. 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